Review: The Other Side of the Horizon, K. Lynch

Dr. Jack Eisner is a successful ER doctor who has thrown himself into his work ever since his girlfriend Sophia left him. When one particularly difficult case comes in, he accidentally inserts an IV into an artery. Somehow after the emergency surgery was over, this error wasn’t detected and the patient died. Dr. Eisner is mistakenly blamed for this problem and suspended from the hospital. In despair, Jack takes off on his boat, accidentally traveling into foreign waters. Will he survive long enough to have his name cleared?

This is quite an interesting story and I think it has a lot of potential. I don’t often read this sort of book, which I’d classify as a medical/legal suspense, and I found it interesting and some of the terminology educational. I also found it entertaining, which is probably my most important consideration, and it was quick, fun read.

On the other hand, while I have never written a novel myself, I do think it could use a bit of improvement, mainly in two areas. First of all, it is not classified correctly, which is part of the reason I hesitate to write this review. It is definitely not romance, and I thought I was getting a romance novel. No one falls in love in this book. There are couples, both separated and together, but none of them are new and the most romance this book contains is the short synopsis giving us background for the relationships. That’s not at all a problem, some of my favorite books contain no romance whatsoever, but I think it could fall into the hands of more appropriate reviewers with a correct classification.

Secondly, the dialogue could be improved. Mr. Lynch can write, there’s no question about that. The novel is entertaining and the prose sections read very smoothly – the words disappear from the page so you can fall into the story, if you understand what I mean. Unfortunately, when characters speak, sometimes their words are very, very awkward. It would be difficult to imagine someone speaking these bits of dialogue out loud. It isn’t all like that and entire chapters passed where I didn’t notice anything, but it could be better.

In short, I’m going to say that if an editor went over this book with Mr. Lynch, it could be fantastic. As it is, the book is an entertaining read with some issues. In its favor, it’s short and it’s interesting and it delves into an area that I haven’t really read much about, medical malpractice. Overall, I enjoyed it. Buy this book on Amazon.

2 comments to Review: The Other Side of the Horizon, K. Lynch

Huh. Interesting. It’s always disappointing when a book is misclassified or marketed incorrectly- makes it hard for the right reader to find it. Great review btw. And as Kathy says, it’s too bad when poor editing sinks an otherwise decent book.